An Ounce - For Your Consideration

Have you ever met someone that has that great attitude? You know. That person who – when life throws them a curveball or an unexpected outcome, they smile, laugh, and somehow find a way to have fun with it. The one who; when they are facing some challenge and you go to visit them and lift their spirits, and they lift you instead. Everyone has met someone like this, they must be born with it. That amazing ability to stay realistically positive. 

What would you say If I told you - you don’t have to be born with it? You can be that person. The one who is a blessing to everyone around you. 

I got to interview Beth Mac Afee, and she’s got a secret to share on how you can do this. It’s simple. Not necessarily easy. But, simple & worth the effort. Committing to it will make life better for you, and everyone you meet. 

In the mid-1980’s I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force. My job was Firefighter, and the one and only assignment I had was at McChord Air Force Base, in Washington. It was a beautiful place to serve. 

On one late afternoon in what I believe was the fall, I was given an interesting assignment. A safety standby for a green engine run on an F-4 Phantom.

There I was - standing next to one of the most powerful and feared Jet Fighters in the world. Bolted to the concrete was the F-4 Phantom, with 2 engines producing 17,900 lbs. of thrust each. And, capable of traveling speeds pushing 1500 miles per hour.

There are no words to explain the physical, auditory, visual sensation – or the rush of adrenaline. I suppose if you’ve done this before, or been on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier you might comprehend it. If not – well – you’ve kind of missed out. It was singularly indescribable - but, I'll give it a shot.

Got an intriguing story about a woman born into an economic and social advantage. For now, we’ll call her ‘the statistician’. Think you can you guess who she is before her name is revealed?

You’ve probably heard of her before. The name chosen for her by her parents was that of a rather well-known European city. A naming trend that many parents followed – picking a name from the beautiful and exotic places in the world for a child.

She was intelligent and precocious as a little one. And this didn’t change much as she grew. The Statistician was given great opportunities to learn and to mix in high society. She was very bright, and a great learner, she was especially good with numbers – something most people don’t know about her. But this girl with a mind of her own frequently butted heads with her parents. 

Her father was a very wealthy man who held a few highly valuable properties. He was indulgent of her, and usually, let her have her way on most things.

Can you guess who she is?

From  The Podcasters Wife:
This ounce comes from a sweet conversation I had with my Late Father-in-law - Chad Fugate -it was about 25 years ago. He and his wife Marilyn visited our family in the fall when we lived on the east coast. Chad and I went for a walk and we were talking about the beauty of the colorful leaves. Chad said to me, “– hey, you know, those are the true colors of a tree. I never knew that and I never forgot it. It was recently I shared this experience with Jim – and he created this Ounce for you. Thanks, Chad. 

Living in the desert southwest I kind of miss the lush green leaves of the many trees that grow in the easternmost united states. 

The Maple, Oak, Sycamore, Elm, and many others.

I shake myself and remember how much humidity it takes to create such a green environment – and I stop pinning for the green.

I am happy with dry heat.

Here in the southwest, we have color – we’ve got the red rocks, the color of pine and sage, the bright blossoms of cactus, and in some rare instances a few nice green lawns. But, things are not always as they seem, the best lawns are often artificial. And, instead of being cool and comfy on the bare feet, they can get so hot in the summer sun they will burn your bare feet.

Things in nature are not always a simple and straightforward as they seem at first glance.

The green of the leaves on those trees I loved – well, the green comes from a constant infusion of chlorophyll from the tree. The chlorophyll keeps the process of photosynthesis going. It keeps those trees happy, alive, and growing.  As long as the water lasts, and the sun shines through the full summer days, the trees stay nice and green.

Mirrors! We love them and hate them.  They however they are neutral. They don’t care. They don’t hate. They don’t love. They are completely dispassionate. They show us everything we like and everything we don’t about the way we look on the outside. 

There is a classic cult movie - The Never-Ending Story – a fantasy loved by the young, and the young at heart worldwide. Our hero, while hiding away from his troubles and reading a book, is transported into the plot of the book. And, into a realm where he must save the world from “The Nothing”. To do so he must perform tasks and overcome challenges. One of these is passing through 3 gates. Each gate has a unique trial that must be faced and surmounted before passage is granted. 

The second of 3 gates is the mirror gate which shows the viewer the true nature of themselves – not just how they look on the outside, but also inside. Everything.

What would that be like? Wonderful, inspiring, shameful, embarrassing, frightening? Probably all of these.
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Looking at the mirrors around us, and looking inward can be a challenge at any time. But, even more so when you are struggling with depression or conditions that distort your perception of who you are. If you, or someone close to you, need help and support contact N. A. M. I.  - National Alliance on Mental Illness – or NAMI for short. . For help and information, connect with the NAMI HelpLine for web chat at www.nami.org/help  or telephone 800-950-6264, M-F from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, ET. In a crisis, text “NAMI” to 741-741 or call 1-800-273-TALK, available 24/7. 

I’ve found a well-loved character that is worthy of a deep dive. A deep dive into who he is and where he came from. A truly unique character filled with his own kind of wisdom, and a somewhat surprising perspective on life. Can you guess who it is before his identity is revealed?

OTG came to us in 1969, and his personality immediately showed through. OTG was going to be like no one else. 

To most folks, OTG has an abrasive and brash presence. But, he does have a few true friends, and a few great lessons to impart.

A thought-provoking narrative - shared in purposeful contrast  - to the episode released last week (The Wedge).

 This is a fairly well-known poem from the past, that brilliantly illustrates the concept of what something is really worth. It’s real value -compared to what we often naively suppose.

The Poem was penned by Myra Brooks Welch, and Titled ‘The Old Violin’ but is also known by some as the ‘Touch of the Master's Hand’. Welch wrote this Christ-centered prose in 1921.

Thought-provoking - and containing several biblical references, it compares the value of a simple and overlooked soul to that of an old violin. It illustrates how – when the temporal is stripped away – there is eternal value there. As revealed by the touch of the Master’s hand.

The work was adapted to music in 1974 and has shown up on more than one gospel album since then.

I’ve got another thought-provoking story to tell you. It’s an adaption based on Chapter 7 of Earl Nightingales' book, ‘On Success’, a classic book from the early self-improvement collection. The adaption is meant to make the story more relatable to our circumstances today.

The setting for the yarn is one of those high-class auction houses where they sell multimillion-dollar paintings, rare and expensive sports memorabilia, and artifacts from the golden age of Hollywood.

This auction was really special.

You see, Satan – Beelzebub – the Devil – or whatever you want to call him - was retiring. After so much success in this world over the years, it was getting to the point where humans were absolutely capable of creating hate, discontent, and all the other deadly sins all on their own.

So, he was selling off his collections, his tools and bobbles of destruction, and retiring to a private island, to watch as the world burned.

Our world is becoming more litigious by the day. And, there have been some consequences of that tendency that we all see, every day, and more and more than ever. It’s getting to the point where we nearly ignore them. And, that’s probably not good because they really are helpful – sometimes.

What am I talking about?

Those bright yellow, orange, or red images known as warning labels. caution signs, hazard signs, and idiot stickers.

You see them on the street, mixed in with billboards, location signs, business signs, speed limit signs, and parking signs.

You see them on products from paint to detergent, 4 wheelers to pickleball paddles, and even food. 

Folks are in a position where they have to add warnings to everything to try and avoid lawsuits. But, there is just not enough space on most stuff to place a warning sticker for every potential hazard on everything.